


Mai's Life

by Kalifa100



Series: The Spirit's Champions [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mai's story, Spirit Mai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:56:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27878730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalifa100/pseuds/Kalifa100
Summary: Nakano, the Spirit of Passion and Emotion, some even say War, chose a daughter of a noble lineage, Lady Mai.
Relationships: Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: The Spirit's Champions [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979732
Comments: 12
Kudos: 59





	1. The Choosing

On a moonless night, her spiritual followers gliding in the night, Nakano walked upon the World of Man. Searching.

She walks up to a securely guarded house, and easily bypasses the tired guards. She glides up the stairs to a door. 

Once inside, Nakano spies a nanny dozing in the rocking chair while the young baby wails fruitlessly for attention. Nakano makes sure to send the nanny into a deeper sleep before proceeding.

She steps up to the crib and leans in. The baby stopped wailing long enough for Nakano to look into her eyes. The fogginess sat uneasily with her.

In a rare display of emotion, Nakano’s black lacquered lips pulled down her face and her eyes filled with sadness as she gently scooped up the baby.

The baby, most likely a week or less old, stopped wailing to reach out with tiny hands. 

_ This one is perfect, no matter what pitiful humans say. _

Nakano caressed the baby’s pale skin with a small smile. Due to her nature, Nakano said nothing but if anyone were to witness, they’d know exactly what she said.

_ Dearest baby darling, even though your guardians have neglected you, you will be loved by others everyday. _

_ I give you this, sweet child. My blessing. No one else will have this precious thing. You will be my Champion.  _

_ Even though others will look down on you, you will carry something no one else will have. My Glory, Wisdom, Power and Love for humanity. You will be called Mai, half-human, half-spirit. The Chimera. Agni’s Champion will stand by you no matter what. _

_ When the time is right, you and the other Champions will gather and end this devastating war.  _

_ Remember this, I will never leave you. _

_ Now, Mai, daughter of Shadow, I tell you to see. _

Nakano rocked the baby to sleep as a warm amber gold seeped into her eyes. When dawn was close and her followers returned to the World of Spirits, Nakano laid her in her crib and melted into the fading shadows.


	2. The Bending

Lady Mai, a youthful noble at the sweet age of ten, daughter of General Ukano and Lady Michi, sat under a tree reading while Azula and Ty Lee did… something.

Mai’s earliest memory was a tall, pale woman comforting her in the dead of night.

Mai recently discovered her affinity for easily reading emotions of even the most closed off people. 

She also discovered a lost form of firebending, dubbed shadow-bending by her love.

She spies a servant walk up to a meditating Prince Zuko, grief and pain rolling off of them in large waves. After they left, Mai turned back to her book, ironically  _ Love Amongst the Dragons _ .

When the same servant walked up to her and told her she was summoned, Mai grew worried even though she didn’t show it. 

The guard assigned to her by Ukano fell in step with her. This particular guard was a secret follower of the nearly forgotten Great Spirit of Shadow and Fury, so he knew that the unearthly grace from his young charge and the fact that she seemed to melt into shadows seamlessly, was the work of his Patron Spirit.

Mai slipped through the simple cedarwood doors seeing a hysterical Princess and a silently weeping Prince. She glided to the note clenched in her love’s hands and read it. Rare tears leaked from her eyes. 

Lu Ten helped her hone her skill with knives to cover up her bending. He helped Zuko with the dual dao. Lu Ten was like an older brother to both her and Zuko.

Then a thought struck her. One of Zuko’s visions showed this. His Agni given Gift of Divination showed this. But did not prepare them for this.

Struck with the sudden foreign sense of longing, she crawled next to her mother figure and gave what comfort she could to the Princess whilst tears flowed freely down a stoick face.

“Agni and Nakano protect us.”


	3. The Move

The maids of the Matsuo household, followers of Nakano, watched over the maturing Lady. The Lady grew more and more mysterious and expressionless, her already graceful stride only multiplied. Every night, a maid’ll go to their Mistress and report on her progress.

* * *

_Three Years Later: A week after Agni Kai_

His screams will haunt Mai for years to come. Screams of pain, agony, sorrow, grief. His emotions were so strong, she almost passed out.

She walked down the streets down to the docks. The _Wani_ was amongst the dozens of hulking, floating metal. Slung over her shoulder was a bag a favorable maid packed for her. Clutched in her hand was a gold five-pronged pendant on a matching chain. 

She spied field medics guiding the stretcher with a prone body atop.

_Zuko._

When they got completely on board, Mai melted into the shadow of the ship and bended into Iroh’s room, scaring the living daylights out of him. Once Mai explained to the old Dragon everything, he allowed her to stay without complaint.

“I managed to get my brother to create a loophole in Prince Zuko’s banishment: Bring the Avatar in chains.”

Mai said nothing except to narrow her eyes. She turned and headed to Zuko’s side, a mysterious yet motherly voice in her head guiding her there.

When she got there, she dropped all her stuff and collapsed in the chair next to him, subconsciously gripping the necklace as she struggled to muffle her sobs at the sight of the crudely made bandage.

Nakano, in her rare bouts of emotion, slumped in her throne. Her head was in her hands, her onyx hair creating a curtain around her, tears slipping through.


End file.
